Judith "Judy" Harper-Melnick is Alan Harper's first wife, daughter of Lenore and Sheldon and the biological mother of Jake Harper and Milly Melnick. She used to be a member of the Harper Family. She was the first woman Alan ever slept with, but their marriage was cold and she said that the only time she was ever happy being sexual was when she was pregnant with Jake. Alan often calls out her hypocritical behavior (mostly directed at her disapproval of him having girlfriends around Jake, when she has had relationships with another woman and various men herself), but he also seems to still have feelings for her, going as far as having visions of her and her new husband Herb when he began dating a mutual friend of theirs. She made no secret of living luxuriously with Alan's alimony, going as far as to get breast implants.

She has since remarried to Dr. Herb Melnick (Ryan Stiles), Jake's pediatrician, a union that brought joy to Alan because it meant he no longer had to pay alimony. She still makes Alan pay child support for activities she doesn't want to trouble Herb with. In Season 6, she was pregnant with either Alan's or Herb's child. She gave birth to Milly Melnick in the last episode of the season, with Charlie sitting next to her. The couple divorce in season ten when Herb has an affair with his receptionist. Judith only made one appearance in season 10, as well as season 11, so far.

Contents

History

She kicks her first husband Alan out of his own house at the start of the series and enjoys her life to the fullest with her monthly alimony from Alan living comfortably remodeling the kitchen, vacationing to Hawaii, and even getting liposuction and breast implants. She was the first woman Alan ever slept with, but their marriage was cold and she said that the only time she was ever happy being sexual was when she was pregnant with Jake.

In Season 8, she claims that she will go crazy if Alan becomes her neighbour but this is saved when Alan burns down the house very short while after. She and Herb is involved in Alan's ponzi scheme as she and Herb pay him $15,000 and 6 months of child support pay. When Alan protests that the child support money is for Jake she says "Oh don't be so naive"

Judith only appeared in six episodes in Season 9. Her last appearance on the show was in the last episode of Season 9. In Season 10, she disappears from the series, but is mentioned briefly on a few occasions. Her absence is never explained until the episode Run, Steven Staven! Run!, where Herb reveals that he and Judith are no longer together after she caught him cheating on her with his receptionist. She took their daughter Milly with her, while Herb remains in their house.

Walden and Alan call her to come and help Herb in the episode Big Episode: Someone Stole A Spoon, she arrives and reunites with him.

Judith returns in the Season 11 episode, "Cab Fare and a Bottle of Penicillin". She and Alan briefly reunite and drunkenly get engaged. The relationship comes to an end when Judith finds out that Alan proposed to Lyndsey before her.

Daughter: Mildred "Milly" Melnick-Harper (via Alan or Herb) (born 5/18/2009). Milly was conceived during a period when Judith and Herb were going through a rough patch and Herb had moved out. Alan and Judith briefly reconciled, but Judith eventually went back to Herb. A few weeks later, Judith announced she was pregnant, and Alan was concerned he was the father. Judith gives birth in the Season 6 finale, and in season 7, Jake mentions that Milly looks nothing like either Judith or Herb, but more like "a girl version of my dad."

Trivia

Judith Harper-Melnick was named after French actress Judith Henry, due to the fact that they are found to look extremely alike.

Judith may have simply said she was gay in the "Pilot" as an excuse to divorce Alan.

Judith has a very poor relationship with her parents and sister who like Alan better than her and seem to dislike Herb.

While she views herself as lonely and long suffering, Judith is actually quite cruel, selfish, spiteful, irrational, and vindictive.

While a child she was a scared, needy, neurotic mess with a strange eating disorder.

While she blames Alan and Charlie for Jake's laziness, she herself seems to have little confidence and even less patience for him.

Her birthdate is unstated so far in the series, unlike Alan and Charlie.

It is unknown how Judith reacted to Charlie's death after the funeral in Season 9, but she was known to despise him, so it's likely that she wasn't too upset. She can be seen in the left of the church with Herb at the funeral, which means she might have some grief over the death.

As of Season 9, when Judith drops Jake off to spend time with Alan at Walden's (formerly Charlie's) new beach house, Judtih coldly explains "it's your weekend to have custody of this", implying she has lost a great deal of care for him. However, this theory may have been dispelled when she expressed her emotional farewell to Jake as he left for the Army at the end of "Oh Look! Al-Qaeda!" with tears.

In the Season 9 episode "Big Girls Don't Throw Food" episode where she and Walden kiss, Jake uses his cell phone to record them in the act without them knowing. He intends to use this as leverage to talk his mom into letting him drop out of school, though the video will more than likely resurface as Walden's "dirty laundry" always seems to pop back up.

Though Judith once claimed Alan was controlling, it is quite obvious she was the dominator in the relationship.

She and Alan attempted to remain friends, but as Judith became an angry and bitter shrew, she spent more time antagonizing Alan and trying to ruin his life.

In Season 10 Run, Steven Staven! Run!, it is revealed that Judith had finally moved out of the house and divorced Herb after catching him having an affair with his receptionist, it is unknown where she is currently living or if she will make another appearance.

Judith only made 6 appearances in the ninth season and just one in the tenth season. Regardless, she was still cretited as a regular cast member.

Judith married two times and divorced two times.

As of Season 9, Marin Hinkle is no longer billed as a series regular. However, she continues to be credited as one to this day, despite only making one appearance in both Season 10 and Season 11.